Photographic-printing machine



March 18, 1924. I J. M. WELCH PHO TOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept 10 1921 fizvezzhzr whim new I z %(Z March 18 1924.

J. WELCH PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 10 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q .l mlmm E g/214 WWI-I l s Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. WELCH, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR T PAKO CORPORATION, 01 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PHOTOGRAPHIC-PRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed September 10, 1921. Serial No. 499,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. WVELGH, am

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photo graphic-Printing Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to photographic printin machines or apparatus, especially adapted for the rapid and economical production of photographic prints first by a complete exposure and thereafter by amodifying exposure, and the invention involves also an improved process for producing the i above noted result.

Generally stated, the machine or apparatus comprises a lamp house or main artificial light source, and means such as a printing head frame and a presser board adapted to hold together and in printing relation, a negativeand sensitized paper, and arranged tomove the negativeand paper without releasing their hold thereon and without changing their printingrelation, from a position where said negative and print will be presented to-the main light source. for complete exposure, into a position away from said position. for complete exposure. As an important feature the invention also includes a portable spot light or auxiliary light source for projecting a movable light beam at will over limited dense areas of the negative, while the negative and print still are held in their original printing relation but removed from the position for complete exposure to the main light source.

The above arrangement permits the main exposure to be made in the customary way and thereafter corrections or modifications to be produced in the print by various different manipulations of the limited auxiliary light beam, as, for example, by projecting the same for the proper time through a limited dense area or areas of the negative.

An illustration of the necessity for such modification by use of the auxiliary light beam would be found, for example, in a negative where a man in black clothes has been photographed with a woman in white clothes. In the negative produced under these conditions the white clothes will produce very dense spots on the negative; and in producing the print from such negative great improvement in the picture may be made by projecting the auxiliary light beam for a. limited time through the dense area produced by the white dress, after the first or complete exposure has been made.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

4 Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating the machine or apparatus; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

The numeral 3 indicates the lamp house as an entirety, the same as shown being a rectangular structure open at top provided within with electric light bulbs 4 and supported by suitable legs 5. The numeral 6 indicates a diffusing screen applied across the upper portion of the lamp house but which constitutes no part of-the present invention and may be applied or removed at will.

The numeral 7 indicates a rectangular printing head frame connected to the rear upper portion of the lamp house by hinge 8 and provided with the customary glass plate 9. .lVhen this frame 7 is turned into horizontal position it rests clpsely on the upper marginal edge of the lamp house but it is adapted to be turned upward and preferably slightly back of the vertical position where it will be gravity held as shown in Fig. 2, and stopped by its hinges. For securing the frame 7 in its downturned horizontal position it is shown as provided with a pivoted elbow latch 10 which is detachably engageable with, latch detail 11 on the upper front portion of the lamp house 3.

The presser board here illustrated is made up of front and rear sections 12 and 13, connected by hinges 14:, the rear board or section 13 being connected by hinges 15 with fixed board section 16 rigidly secured on the upper rear portion of the printing head frame 7. The front and rear presser boards 12 and 13 have the customary pile facings 17. For moving the presser boards 12 and 13 toward and from the printing head frame there is provided a presser lever 18 which is shown as of usual construction being connected by hinges 19 to the block 20 secured on the relatively fixed board 16. This presser lever carries electrical lever springs 21 the ends of which press against small bearing plates 22 on the presser boards 12 and 13 and when said lever is depressed will cause the presser boards to firmly hold the negative 3 and print 2 together in printing relation and against the glass plate 9. A. small normally slack chain or cable connects the presser board 12 to the presser lever 18 so that when the presser lever is free from the printing head frame and is given suilicient upward movement it will carry the presser boards with it in the usual way.

is an important feature the presser lever is provided its free end with a latch hook or lock 25 that is engageable with a clip or lock detail 26 on the free edge of the print ing head frame 7.

When the presser lever is locked tothe printing head frame by its latch or look 25 and the latch or look 10 is released upward movement of the presser lever will carry with it the printing head frame and presser board so that the negative 2 and print 7 after having been iirst exposed to the main light source from the lamp house will be mored as an entirety and without change in relation of the moved parts of the negative y or print 7 in relation to each other to a position out of or remote from the said position for main exposure (see Fig. 2.)

When they printing head frame is raised as shown in Fig. 2, and the auxiliary light beam is being used, the lamps for the lamp house should be turned out, and this. may be done in any suitable way, as, for example, by a switch 28.

in the above noted removed position, the print 3 may be modified as already indicated by a limited light beam projected from an auxiliary light source such as a portable electric spot light 27.

From the foregoing, it is thought to be evident that photographic prints of the very best or most desirable type may be rapidly produced.

What I claim is:

l. The process of producing photographic prints first by complete exposure and thereafter by a modifying local exposure, which consists first in clamping the negative and sensitized paper between a transparent plate and presser board and presenting the same to a light exposure over the area of the complcte print, thereafter moving said transparent plate. presscr board, negative and print, while clamped together, to a position away from said position for complete exposure, and in finally modifying the print. by projecting a mo "able light beam against limited local dense areas of the negative.

2. The combination with lamp house, of a printing head frame having a. transparent plate and hinged to said lamp house, a presser board located above ano hinged tor movements in respect to said head frame, a presser lever hinged above said presser board, yielding means interposed between said presser lever and presser board and operative to clamp a negative and print between said board and the transparent plate of said presser head, and means for locking said presser lever to said head frame, whereby said head frame, presser board and presser lever may be moved together, with the print and negative clamped as stated.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 in further combination with means for locking said printing head frame to said lamp house and for releasing the same at will.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature JOHN M. WELCH. 

